U.S. Indoor Championships: Watch the Meet That Matters Most in 2018

The best chance to catch head-to-head competition between the country’s fastest track stars is this weekend, beginning Friday, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The national indoor championships will decide who represents the U.S. at the world championships next month in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The top two finishers in each event who have achieved the world-qualifying standard will make Team USA. And plenty of races will offer deep competition. Throw in the 5,300 feet of altitude in Albuquerque, and you’ve got yourself some interesting challenges at the longer distances.

The action will be streamed from 3–7 p.m. Eastern on Saturday and 2:30–7 p.m. on Sunday on NBC Sports Gold (subscription required, though #ProTip: USA Track & Field is offering a 20 percent discount with the code USATF20 through Sunday). It will air from 5:30–7 p.m. Eastern on Saturday and 5–7 p.m. on Sunday on NBC Sports Network.

The can’t-miss races:

The men’s 800 meters (final is 5:33 p.m. Eastern on Sunday)

Five men in the field come to the first round with the world championships qualifying standard. Donavan Brazier is the favorite following an indoor season that included racing a 1:45.11 last weekend in Boston. Drew Windle ran a 1:45.53 at the Millrose Games and will certainly be in the mix for a second spot, alongside Clayton Murphy, who hasn’t posted an exceptional performance yet this winter, but is the Olympic bronze medalist who’s proven his ability to rise to the occasion when it counts. Also keep an eye on Erik Sowinski, who does not have the qualifying standard but could finish second with the necessary time in a less-strategic race.

The women’s 1500 meters (5:42 p.m. Eastern on Sunday)

The Bowerman Track Club women will work together to assure that the top two positions stay in their team, but Shelby Houlihan, Kate Grace, and Colleen Quigley will face formidable challenges from others in the field. Rachel Schneider arrives with the fastest indoor mile time this season (4:27.30) and an undefeated season so far this winter. Cory McGee could emerge with an upset, too—she made the team in 2016 and she set an indoor 1500-meter personal best last weekend in Boston (4:08.84). Houlihan, the defending champ, is doubling in the 3,000 meters, but nobody should discount her deadly kick and expertise at the shorter distance. If she qualifies for both events, it’s feasible to compete in both of them in Birmingham, if she chooses. Grace, a 2016 Olympian in the 800 meters and the 2017 world outdoor team qualifier in the 1500 meters, came in second to Quigley, a 3,000-meter steeplechase Olympian, at the Millrose Games this month—but Grace’s deep experience also makes her a favorite.

The women’s 3,000 meters (6:28 p.m. Eastern on Saturday)

It could be another Bowerman Track Club sweep here—Houlihan ran 8:36.01 at the beginning of February, the second-fastest time ever in the country, while her teammate Marielle Hall finished in 8:40.20. Houlihan, a 2016 Olympian in the 5,000 meters, and Hall, who competed in the 10,000 meters at the Games, line up against Emma Coburn, the 2017 world steeplechase champion whose personal best is 8:41.16. While Houlihan may be hard to touch, three women will battle in this race for those two spots.

Men’s 1500 meters (6:11 p.m. Eastern on Sunday)

Only five men in the field are coming with the world standard of 3:39.50 or 3:55.00 for the indoor mile in 2017 or 2018 (or a 3:33.00 outdoors in 2017): Brannon Kidder, Craig Engels, Ben Blankenship, Kyle Merber, and Ford Palmer. Blankenship, a 2016 Olympian, was third at the Millrose Games this year, and Engels ran a personal best mile of 3:53.93 last weekend in Boston. Shadrack Kipchirchir and Paul Chelimo, two more Olympians, will be doubling in the 3,000 meters, where they have a strong chance of making the team. The schedule in Birmingham is prohibitive for men racing both events, so it remains to be seen which they’ll choose should they have both options on the table.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.